Alfred currier



finire @rares artnr @irrita ALFRED CURRIER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO XV. H. DE CAMP, OF SAME PLACE.

WINDMILL u nFTFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,876, dated May 26, 1885.

Application led December l0, 13S-i. (No model) To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED Genuine, of Grand Rapids, in the county of lient and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in AutomaticlVindinills, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine.

My invention is an improvement upon windmills of that class in which the wheel is coinposed of radial arms and fans mounted upon a horizontal shaft.

The object of my invention is to more effeetually reduce the amount of surface of the wheel automatically when the force of wind against `said surface exceeds a certain determined amount.

The leading feature of the invention consists of pivoted fans carrying arms adapted to close upon or toward the main shaft when under excessive pressure of wind. Subordr nate to these main features are details of construction whereby the main part is effeetually embodied in a practical operative windmill.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows the machine mainly in side elevation, but with parts hereinafter explained in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 shows a portion ofthe machine with the fans closed in side elevation.

In the drawings, U represents the main supporting column, and l the inain support ing-shaft of the machine. The shaft K is tubular in forni, and carries upon one end a counterbalance-head, A, and upon the other a fan, J. It is tted in bea-rings upon the inain supporting parts, and is held rigidly by aset-screw, 7, in the sleeve S, which forms one of the bearings of the shaft. The other bearing is shown at B, and, like the bearing 8, is in the forni of a three-way coupling. The bearing R incloses a sleeve, 9, which extends out each end beyond the bearing R. To one end of the projecting sleeve 9 is fixed the hub O of the wheel. 'llo the other end is fixed a bevel-gear, Q. The sleeve 9 and the bevelgear Q, turn with the hub of the wheel upon the inain tubular shaft K. The bearings R and S are screwed upon vshort pieces of pipe 19, set in bent couplings 20, which Couplings are connected to a double-T head, 2l, set on the top of the hollow column U. rlhis head of double-T forni rests at 1S in the carriage S,

Vtransmitted to any desired point.

.the ribs of an umbrella.

with which it turns upon a track or table, T,

yhich is supported against lateral pressure by a tubular shaft, 22, to which it is fixed, and which extends down within the main tubular column U. The tubular shaft 22 therefore forms the spindle ou which the head and carriage turn. The table T forms the support for the whole. The said table travels upon wheels or rollers l0 l0. inside the tubular shaft 22 is another tubular shaft, 23, upon the upper end of which is fixed the bevel-gear 6, meshing with the bevel-gear Q. The bevel-gear 14, in mesh with another gear on the horizontal shaft l5, is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 23. Thereby the power of the wheel is The hub of the wheel is slotted in places radial to the center of the hub, and in these slots are piv oted the arms 3, carrying the fans 4. The fans are fixed to the arni at any desired or suitable angle, and are adapted to fall down upon the shaft, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, like The arms 3 are connected to a sliding ferrule, N, by means of braces 2, the ferruleN being adapted to move upon the inain shaft K from a position shown iu full lines, Fig. l, to that shown in dotted lines, the whole action and the construction in its inain features being similar to that of an umbrella.

The main tubular shalt K is slotted, as sh own at l, the slot extending beyond the position indicated, and a screw, 5, passing through the ferrule N and through the slot, connects the ferrule to a sliding plug, F. The rope D is laid over a pulley, F', and down the hollow shaft 23 another rope, C, passes to the plug B, and isled over the pulley F down the interior of the saine shaft. Pulling upon the rope D will open and pulling upon the rope C will close the fans. These ropes areled over pulleys G and H H, and are attached to a lever, l, and provided with an adjustable weight, XV. The weight being placed nearer to the rope D will tend to hold the fans open against the foree of the wind, and the position of the weight will determine the resisting foree of thefans. This can be adj usted to any desired point or degree.

The shaft 23 is stepped into the support 16. The support 12 upon the door 13 carries the main tubular shaft U. At 17 is shown a continuation of the tube 23 for guiding the ropes O D. i

I have provided upon the shaft K aspring, L, which rests upon a collar, M, to receive the ferrule N and break the shock when the fans close.

I do not limit .myself to the particular eo'nstruction of the lever and Weight, as many other devices may be used :for holding the fans to the wind; nor, indeed, do I limit myself to the details of construction hei-einbefore described, as they may be correctly varied Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my inventionl. The combinatiomina windmill, of a main tubular shaft, a hub on said shaft connected with gears for transmitting the power, fans pivoted on said hub, a sliding ferrule, N,

mounted on the main shaft and connected to the fans, and a sliding block Within the shaft secured to the ferrule and connected with devices, substantially as described, for regulat ing the movement of the ferrule, the said fans being adapted to close upon or toward the shaft by pressure of the wind, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a Windmill, of the main tubular shaft K, supported on a turntable, a hub carrying pivoted fans and fixed to a sleeve, R, mounted on the said shaft K, a bevel-gear on the front of said sleeve meshing with a like gear on the end of a vertical tubular shaft, a sliding block within the shaft K, having a rope, D, connected to the end E thereof, and connections `between 'the block and the fans, whereby the said fans are opened, all substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a Windmill, of a main tubular shaft, a hub fixed to a sleeve carrying a bevelgear, which meshes'with a like gear on a vertical tubular shaft for communicating power, fans pivoted on said hub and connected to a sliding ferrule, N, mounted 0n the tubular shaft and fixed to a sliding block Within the tubular shaft K, and means, substantially as described, connected to the ends B E of the sliding block, for operating and regulating the pivoted fans, all as set forth.

4. The combination, in a Windmill, of the main tubular shaft K, the hub carrying the pivoted fans connected to the ferrule N, said fans being adapted to close toward or upon the shaft, and with a sliding block within the shaft K, having the rope D connected to the end E thereof, for opening the fans through the said ferrule, the sleeve Rserving as a rear bearing for the shaft K, and supporting'the hub O and the front bearing, S, the said bearings being supported from the turn-table and encircling the tubular shaft, all as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony WhereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub Scribing witnesses.

ALFRED CURRIER.` lVitnesses:

ARTHUR U. CURRIER, XVM. G. BEcKWITH. 

